The Way Home
by Odeeyou
Summary: Heero had never really had a home. None that he would call home. When he follows traces of his past, He only finds another home he never had. (Possible One Shot)


DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing. Nor do I own the characters in it. With the exception of those that I make up for the sake of the story. Which I have done. I take credit for those.  
  
Heero Yuy pulled his jacket closer. The temperatures across the colony were currently in the lower 30's F. Simulating the cold winter temperatures of winter on earth. He had not really ever had a home. At least none that he could recall. But if he did, he would say L1 would be the closest thing he would ever have.  
  
Every colony had its slums. L1 was perhaps one of the worst. It was the oldest of the colonies. The most run down. Remnants of the war tended to linger here. Like him. Barely 500 people still lingered on this colony. What people that did stay had nowhere else to go. His home.  
  
Duo ran quickly to catch up to him. Walking a pace behind him. As he assumed that Heero knew where he was going. They were on a basic recon mission not long ago. The whole thing was bogus. For whatever reason, Heero decided he wanted to stop here.  
  
"Man. And I thought my old neighborhood was bad." Duo shook his head to himself. Where the outside of the colony was littered with old mobile suits, the inside was covered with demolished buildings. Showing that the fighting had been inside and outside the satellite  
  
"Heero, where are we going?" Duo asked his friend cautiously. He remembered him saying that he was trained here by Dr. J. or something like that. This colony was so run down, he didn't think there could be anything of vast importance here. But at the same time he knew there must be for Heero to want to come here.  
  
Heero heard the question. But was reluctant to answer. Not liking it when people knew more about him than he deemed necessary. Remembering what the doctor had taught him. "I'm going home."  
  
Duo stopped walking and felt as his jaw hit the ground. He had expected a lot of different answers out of his best friend. And that was not one of them. He knew so little about his friend. And his friend knew so little about himself. He saw that he was getting left behind again and ran forward. "Hey! Wait up!"  
  
When he caught up to him, Heero had stopped in front of an old burned down building. A factory at one point. Judging by the condition it was in, it had to have burned down before the war. He opened his mouth to say something, but really didn't know what to say. Not wanting to be too intrusive or rush his friend.  
  
"This is where I was trained by the assassin Odin Lowell. Our base of operation. The closest thing to a home I ever had." He stood there for a long while. Remembering some of his earliest moments of childhood. Remembering what Odin had taught him.  
  
"Assassination comes at a high price, he would tell me. I wont say that I enjoy my work. It's simply what I do. What I'm good at. So I do it. But I have never killed a person who I did not deem worthy to die. (Unless they paid well) Live by your emotions, follow your heart, and you will never go wrong."  
  
Duo wisely kept his mouth shut. As he assumed Heero would tell him about his past and himself in his own time. On his own terms. He just didn't think it would be like this. It brought back memories of his own childhood.  
  
They walked into the old building. Or what was left of it. It was a shoe factory at one point. Part of the roof had caved in. And the other half was burnt down. They walked through the ruble until they came to some old office spaces.  
  
"I haven't been here since I was six years old." Heero spoke again as he crouched next to an old filing cabinet. Papers were scattered about the floor as well. Duo crouched down as well and looked at the papers on the floor. Mostly personal records of political delegates.  
  
"He kept accurate records of everyone he had ever killed, hunted, or spied on. He wasn't proud of his job. But he did it. He kept the files to remind himself. He refused to let himself forget." He placed the files back into the cabinet  
  
"Hey Heero." Duo tapped him on the shoulder. Heero turned to look at him when Duo handed him an old newspaper clipping. He stood up and allowed Duo to look at it with him. "Assassination at City Hall. Earth Representatives killed. Explosion killed 15 others in building as well." He read it out loud. Looking at a photo he saw who was once the colony representatives. Standing with them was a man who bore striking resemblance to himself.  
  
"He refused to let himself forget." He spoke more to himself as he looked at the news article. Reading through the article, it gave most of the people's names, but not who they were. One of those names was repeated. "Joshua Tenoue"  
  
"Your father?" Duo asked timidly. Feeling that he was walking on very thin ice with his friend right now. Heero nodded his head in response.  
  
He continued to look at the paper while he fished out a lighter from his pocket. Lighting the edge of the article aflame. Watching it burn in his hand. "The stupid fool. He gave his only son into the hands of the very assassin. Asking him to take care of him. While he went back inside the building to try and get more people out. When the building collapsed on itself."  
  
The last of the article turned to ash in his fingertips when he let it drop to the ground. Turning around, he walked back out of the office and out of the building. Duo on his heels. "Out of respect, I will thank him."  
  
Duo shivered at the coldness of this place. It seemed overly cold even for a colony. But then, they had been walking now for a good two hours. If Heero was effected by the cold, he sure didn't show it. But then, you would expect that from him.  
  
Eventually, the came to a large cemetery and a park as well. Duo hung back near the Cemetery gates. Not that he felt out of place amongst the dead. But out of politeness. He knew that he was probably the reason for some of these gravestones. "I'll wait for you here."  
  
He didn't acknowledge him. Just continued walking. Reading the grave stones as he passed them. He found it near the back. A few of them surrounded by a small fence. Once other family members. Crouching down, he pulled some old vines off from the graves.  
  
"Joshua Tenoue. Loving father and husband. Born Jan. 24, 156. Died Oct. 12, 181." He moved his hand across the letter carved in stone. "Thank you." He bowed his head. "After everything that happened I should hate you. But I don't. If it were not for what happened that day, the peace we fought so hard for might not have been achieved. Thank you."  
  
"Welcome home." He stood up and stepped back away from the gravestone. Glancing at the other stones as well. "Samantha Tenoue. Loving mother and wife. Born Jun. 16, 158. Died Dec. 11, 179."  
  
The grave next to hers was smaller. Meant for that of a child. "Joshua Tenoue Jr. Born Dec. 11, 179. Died Oct. 12, 181." He had never been one to linger on things of the past. But all his life he had wanted nothing more than a simple life. He could help but wonder what it would have been like if things had happened differently.  
  
A twig snapped behind his and he spun around. His hand trained on his gun. But he didn't pull it. A young woman was standing behind him. She was around 5'5" with bright blue eyes and brown hair down to her shoulders. Looking to be just as startled as we was. Though he didn't show it. "Sorry." He moved to leave the area.  
  
"Its okay. I don't mind the company if you don't." She smiled at him. He nodded his head as she approached him with three red roses in her hand. She saw where he had pulled back the weeds on the gave as she set one rose before each gravestone. "Did you know my father?"  
  
He shook his head. "Not very well. I was only a small child when he died." They looked down on the graves. He noticed a small smile grace her features. Most likely remembering her childhood with her parents. "How did they die?"  
  
She wiped a tear from her eye before it fell. "Well, my mother died giving birth to my little brother over there. By father and brother went two years later in an assassination attempt at City Hall." She took the liberty to study him for a moment. The first thing she recognized was the jacket. "You're a Preventor. Is this a business call?"  
  
He shook his head again. "Just paying my respects."  
  
Turning her attention back to the stones, her smile slowly returned. Dad used to spoil us to death. Always taking us to the amusement part. He loved horror movies. He would even let Joshua watch them with him. My aunt would complain that he'd get nightmares but they never fazed him any." She gave a light chuckle.  
  
At this Heero Yuy had to smirk. Funny. Horror movies. Some people might call his life a horror story. Irony at its best. He looked up to see her looking at him strangely again.  
  
"You know, you kind of look like him. My father I mean." She tilted her head slightly while she looked at him. As if it would really change the outlook.  
  
He grunted and shrugged his shoulder. Turning around, he moved away from the gravestones. He paused, turning his head back to look at her. "It was nice talking to you, miss. . ."  
  
"Samantha. Samantha Tenoue." She flashed a grin at him that he could help but give a half smile to him. Nodding his head, he continued to walk out of the cemetery. Without having told her his own name. She watched him leave. Curious as to whom he was.  
  
She shrugged her shoulders to herself and returned her attention back to the gravestones. Pulling out an old photo from her jacket, she smiled at the picture. Her, her father and her brother all in front of an amusement park. She sat on her father's shoulders while he held her brother. He was too busy chewing on his fist to notice the camera.  
  
Looking at her father, she noticed his characteristics. Knowing that she had just seen them. Blue eyes. Messy brown hair. Turning around quickly, she looked for the guy she had just finished talking to. But he had already left the cemetery. ". . .Joshua?" 


End file.
